The present disclosure relates generally to pairing an accessory with a host device and more particularly to pairing an accessory without use of displayed or printed authentication information.
A number of wireless peripherals are being designed to work with host devices. One example of such a system is the AirPlay system from Apple Inc. In the AirPlay system, media stored on a host device, e.g., a computer, can be wirelessly communicated to one or more peripheral devices, e.g., speakers. However, in order for the peripheral devices to interact with the host device, they must be properly configured or “paired.”
Conventionally, a peripheral device has an authentication identifier such as a serial number, passcode, etc. that can be either present in a printed form on the peripheral device or can be retrieved via a user interface of the peripheral device. The authentication identifier can then be used to pair the accessory with the host device. However, such an authentication identifier is static and thus vulnerable to theft and misuse. In addition, a person with disabilities or with limited technical skills can find it difficult to perform the pairing of the host device and the peripheral device using the authentication identifier.